The Combined Net Worth of Richest People in the World is $1.44 Trillion as of February 2024

The good pals over at VisualCapitalist have compiled the data from Forbes real Time Billionaires list and made a list of world’s richest people as of February 2024. The combined fortune of the top ten richest billionaires in the world is about $1.44 trillion. Due to a 21% decline in Elon Musk’s wealth in 2023, Bernard Arnault made it to the top of the richest list in 2024. He has a net worth of $212.1 billion. He is a French man who is a CEO and chairman of luxury goods company LVMH and owns a number of luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Sephora, Tiffany and Co. etc. Arnault also has investments in many big companies like Netflix and TikTok.

The total net worth of the top five richest people in the world grew by 4% which is about $904.9 billion in total. The second richest man in the world is Elon Musk with $194.6 billion net worth. His source of income is through Tesla and SpaceX. He is now also the owner of social media site, X. Third richest person is Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, with $192.4 billion net worth followed by Mark Zuckerberg with a net worth of $161.8 billion. Larry Ellison, the owner of Oracle is the fifth richest person with a $144.0 Billion fortune.

Names like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Larry Page, Steve Ballmer and Sergey Brin made to the bottom five of top 10 richest people in the world list. The richest woman in the world is L’Oréal’s Françoise Bettencourt Meyers whose net worth grew by $1.2 billion in 2023. Out of all the top ten rich people, Mark Zuckerbeg saw a significant growth in his net worth. It grew 39% by February 2024 from November 2023 and it surged to $45 billion.

Zhong Shanshan, the chairman and founder of Nongfu Spring is the richest person in Chine with $60.5 billion net worth. In India, the chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, is the richest with $102.1 net worth.

Read next: The Best Cloud Storage Apps to Use in 2024
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Unlimited Possibilities: The Best Cloud Storage Apps to Download in 2024

If your device's storage is full and you have important files that you cannot delete, there are many storage apps available these days that you can try to save your files. While there are numerous cloud storage apps available, most of them come with a price if you need larger space. After conducting research, we have selected some of the best cloud storage apps for you to use. However, before you begin, it is important to know what to look for in storage apps for cloud if you have a large number of files to save.

Features of a Good Storage App

While finding the best storage apps for cloud, we got to know that there are some features that are important for storage apps to have to make them best.

Enough Storage:

What’s the use of a storage app if it doesn’t have good storage capacity? In addition to enough storage, you need to look out for apps that can do maximum monthly transfers and what type of files can the storage app allow to store in it.

Good Pricing:

Every good thing comes up with a price. If you are looking for a good storage app for free, it is almost impossible. What you can hope for in a storage app is that it should come up with useful features with a better pricing plan.

Organizing Tools:

Storage apps should have useful organizing tools that can easily sort, filter, search and organize your files.

Secure and Reliable:

As you are going to save a lot of files in your Storage app, security and reliability should be your top priority.

Top 10 Best Cloud Storage Apps

Now comes the moment that you all have been waiting for. To get the best storage features, we have come up with some of the best cloud storage apps for you. These cloud storage apps are:

1. Google Drive
2. iCloud
3. Dropbox
4. Box
5. OneDrive
6. JottaCloud
7. Koofr
8. iDrive
9. Internxt
10. MEGA

To know why these apps are categorized as Best, we will tell you the reasons in the description below.

1- Google Drive

Google Drive is the most popular app when it comes to storage. It is available for Android. Windows, MAC, iOS and Web. The reasons why this cloud storage app is at the top are as follows:

Pros of Google Drive:

● It is a built-in app in almost all Android devices and can automatically back up your photos.
● You can save any files on it and access it on any device.
● Files from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and other Google apps are also saved on Google Drive

Cons of Google Drive:

● You have to use Google Drive no matter what if you use Google Workspace.

Pricing for Google Drive:

15 GigaBytes (GB) storage is free on Google. To get 100 GB space, pricing is $1.99 per month. If you need up to 5TB storage, $18 per month is the price for it.

2- iCloud:

As Google Drive is the best storage app for Android users, iCloud is best for Apple users. It works on MAC, Windows, iOS and Web.

Pros of iCloud:

● iCloud syncs easily with all Apple devices.
● You do not need to do any maintenance on it to make iCloud work smoothly.

Cons of iCloud:

● Most of the space in iCloud is covered up with photos.
● If you only use iCloud on the web, you can only store up to 1GB of data.
● It is not available on any platforms other than Apple.

Pricing for iCloud:

5GB storage is free on iCloud. $0.99 per month is the price for 50GBs. To get up to 2TB storage space, you need to pay $12.99 per month.

3- Dropbox

Dropbox is available for MAC, Android, Windows and iOS devices. Upon testing the app, we found out that it runs smoothly on any platform without any much effort. It automatically runs in the background and syncs the files. Some of its pros and cons are:

Pros of Dropbox:

● It is a low maintenance app that works automatically.
● It has full cross-platform support.

Cons of Dropbox:

● Dropbox has announced plans to remove its 2TB family share plan in 2024.
● The platform sends deceptive emails when you are near the full storage limit.
● It doesn’t have a competitive price.

Pricing for Dropbox:

2GB storage is free on Dropbox and you have to pay $11.99 per month to get 3TB storage. There are also different pricing plans for business use.

4- Box

Box is available for Windows, MAC, iOS, Android and Web. It is a very simple and easy to use cloud storage app.

Pros of Box:

● You can get unlimited storage for $60 per month.
● It has very useful tools for Business files.

Cons of Box:

● Unlimited storage is only possible with 5GB per file.
● The customer support section is not good. 
● Its price isn’t competitive at high storage options

Pricing for Box:

10GB is available for free. Other plans include 100Gb for $14 a month to $60 with three users.

5- OneDrive

You can use OneDrive on MAC, Windows, Android, iOS and Web. It is great for Microsoft users to save their files on.

Pros of One Drive:

● It is built in Microsoft and Windows devices but can easily cross platform with MAC and IOS devices.
● It has organized photo libraries.

Cons of One Drive:

● There is only limited storage space.
● Microsoft is notorious for changing default settings, which means that some of your files, which you may not want on the cloud, could end up there."

Pricing for One Drive:

5GB are free on OneDrive while you have to pay $1.99 per month for 100GBs. 6TBs are available for $9.99 per month to split between 6 users so each user gets 1TB.

6- JottaCloud

Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and command line tools support JottaCloud. You can upload anything to JottaCloud and can decide which files to sync with it and which files to not.

Pros of JottaCloud:

● It has a vast unlimited storage space options of course with a paid plan.
● It automatically backs up pictures from any device.

Cons of JottaCloud:

● Its desktop app isn’t as smooth as a mobile app.
● Customer reviews suggest Jottacloud sometimes can be totally "unreliable and they have poor support".

Pricing for JottaCloud:

You get 5GB for free on JottaCloud. For personal use, unlimited storage’s price is 9.90 euros per month. You can get 1TB for 6.90 euros a month for a family plan that is among 5 users. For commercial use, 1TB storage is for 49 euros per month.

7- Koofr

You can use Koofr on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Huawei AppGallery, WebDAV, Rclon and Web. It is best for backing up Huawei phones and is overall a good cloud storage phone for other devices. Its pros and cons include:

Pros of Koofr:

● You can combine different accounts from storage providers on Koofr.
● You can pay for the storage you need instead of going for its storage plans.

Cons of Koofr:

● When you are choosing your own storage space, you will need good management and strategies to do so.
● As per customer reviews the platforms "isn't as smoothly working as another competitor"

Pricing for Koofr:

10GB is free on Koofr while you have to pay 0.50 euros per month to get more than 10GBs. To get 20TB, you have to pay 120 euros per month.

8- iDrive

Mac, Windows, Linux, Unix, iOS, Android, and Windows Server can easily support iDrive. If you want an app that can easily back-up your cloud storage, iCloud is one of the best.

Pros of iDrive:

● It has a great back-up plan for all your files.
● You can easily afford up to 100TB storage.

Cons of iDrive:

● Your data privacy is only guaranteed if you choose Team and Business Plans
● IDrive backup faces redirection issues, requiring data re-upload.

Pricing for iDrive:

10GB storage is free in iDrive. To get 5TB, you have to pay $9.95 per month. $99.95 monthly is the price of 100TB storage

9- Internxt

You can download Internxt on Windows, MAC, Android, IOS, Linux and Web. The pros and cons of Internxt are:

Pros of Internxt:

● It has great rules for data privacy and you do not need technical knowledge to understand them.
● It has a separate area where you can store your photos and do backup.

Cons of Internxt:

● It doesn’t have a great pricing for TB files.
● "It's getting better but still needs work"

Pricing for Internxt:

You can access 10GB for free here. To get 10TB, $34.99 per month is the price.

10- MEGA

MEGA works for a lot of devices like Android, MAC, Windows, Linux, iOS, Chrome extension, Edge extension, Command Line Protocol, QNAP NAS and Synology NAS. It has great plans for storage and offers up to 15TB.

Pros of MEGA:

● It has a good pricing plan for 8TB and more storage spaces.
● For advanced users, it has NAS packages and more advanced tools.

Cons of MEGA:

● You can only transfer a limited number of files monthly.
● As per a customer on Trustpilot, "Storage is great, but customer service is lacking"
● Due to privacy encryption, if you forget your password, there’s no way you can access your account.

Pricing for MEGA:

20GBs are free on MEGA and the pricing plan is 9.99 euros monthly for 2TB and 29.99 euros monthly for 16TB.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

New Computer Worm Threatens AI Models like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini

Generative AI models, like the ones powering chat assistants, are at risk from a new computer worm. This worm can attack AI systems, including OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. A team of three researchers have shown that this worm can trick AI email helpers into stealing personal information and sending unwanted emails during their tests.

The researchers discovered that this "zero-click" worm can use both text and images to harm ChatGPT, Gemini, and an open-source model named LLaVA. The worm works by sneaking in harmful prompts that make the AI repeat these prompts and carry out harmful actions without needing any clicks or direct commands from users.

The worm could lead to serious problems, like phishing (tricking people into giving up personal information), sending spam emails, or spreading false information. This was first reported by Wired, emphasizing that no computer system or AI model is completely safe from viruses.

The creators of this worm, who come from Cornell University, Intuit, and Israel's Technion, have named it "Morris II" after an early computer worm from 1988. The original Morris Worm showed the world how these threats could spread on their own across computers connected to the internet.

• Also read: Digital 2024 Report Reveals Surge in Ad Spend, Highlights Importance of SEO and Social Media Marketing

The people behind Morris II point out that flaws in how AI systems are built allowed them to create this worm. They warn that such worms could be used for large-scale attacks in the future, putting more AI tools at risk. This highlights the urgent need to make AI models more secure.

OpenAI has responded by saying they are working on making their systems tougher and better protected. This situation shows the importance of checking and filtering user inputs to prevent such attacks.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: CIRP Study Highlights iPhone 14 and 14 Plus as Top Choices for Android Users Making the Switch to Apple
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

CIRP Study Highlights iPhone 14 and 14 Plus as Top Choices for Android Users Making the Switch to Apple

CIRP previously reported that 13% of new iPhone buyers in the US have switched from Android. Now, the good pals over at CIRP has shared a report that talks about the iPhone models that many Android users are switching to. What’s the most popular iPhone model among ex-Android users? The data from the iPhone purchases in the US suggests that the most popular iPhone model for previous Android users is iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. 26% of the Android users chose to get iPhone 14 and Plus as their first Apple phone in 2023. After the iPhone 14 Plus, 25% of the Android users bought iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

This data shows that most Android users are not inclined towards getting the latest iPhone model as compared to Apple users who want to purchase the latest model as soon as it comes to the market. Android switchers also switched to iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max with 12% of the new purchases done by Android users. 11% of the Android users got iPhone 13 while 10% of the Android switchers purchased iPhone SE. 8% of them got iPhone 12 too. As iPhone SE and iPhone 12 are budget friendly and for many Android users, the prices of Apple phones are high, so they decided to get an affordable iPhone model to experience the IOS system instead of Google OS.

On the other hand, the least iPhone model purchases made by iPhone users were for iPhone SE and iPhone 12. The purchases made for them were half the percentage of purchases by Android users. The most purchases made for an iPhone model by iPhone users were for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with 29% of the users purchasing them in 2023.

Read next: Digital 2024 Report Reveals Surge in Ad Spend, Highlights Importance of SEO and Social Media Marketing
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Digital 2024 Report Reveals Surge in Ad Spend, Highlights Importance of SEO and Social Media Marketing

This year's "The Digital 2024: Global Overview Report" is out, which is a collaborative effort of the good folks over at We are Social and Meltwater. It is a 561 pages long report that talks about how people are using the internet and social media. The report also talks about different marketing trends that went viral in 2023 and also the marketing strategies that will emerge in 2024. Some of the main points from the report are included in the article.

According to the report, the ad spend for advertisements in digital marketing increased 11% in YoY in 2023. Digital ad spending makes 70% of the total amount for ad spending which touched the USD $720 billion mark in 2023. As generative AI is getting popular, brands are exploring new ways for advertisements. Online search and video ad spending takes away a huge amount from the total ad spending. Search advertising has also increased 11% and it makes 38.8% of the total digital ad spending. Search advertising impressions have increased but click through rates stay the same at 2%. But the search ad cost is also rising with 2.3% YoY.

Brands should also work on SEO to improve their digital visibility because most of the consumers search for brands on search engines. This is also how one-third of the consumers find new brands and make purchases. Google is the top search engine in the world right now and Bing is also getting popular with 11.2% YoY. After search engines, marketers should invest more on social media because consumers come for product research on social media after visiting search engines. Consumers also interact more with different brands on social media by consuming pictures and videos, commenting on campaigns, following pages and visiting websites.

On Google search, most consumers search for electronics and fashion as these two are the top searched shopping terms. If you want more customers, use the keywords that will help you more consumers by incorporating keywords with interesting content. It is important that marketers design their advertisements by keeping in view that most of the consumers search for brands on their mobile phone. While making a brand promotion, make sure that you are making marketing strategies by keeping in mind that most of the consumers in the world are mobile first and they are likely to search for your brand on digital platforms.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google's Popularity Among SEO Experts Declines

Google is facing a tough time as the search giant is dealing with a lot of problems. People are not happy with how Google's search works, as time after time many technical issues and errors keep on popping. On the legal side, the Department of Justice has brought some serious issues to light. There's also confusion about the data Google shares with advertisers. Problems with Google's Gemini project is also causing frustration.

A recent poll shows that most SEO experts are not as fond of Google as they once were. Barry Schwartz conducted a survey on social media. He found that nearly 67.9% of SEO experts like Google less than before. While 25.6% feel the same about Google as they always did. Only 6.5% like Google more now. The survey had 1,769 responses. This is a significant number of people.

The way people see Google has never been worse. In over 20 years of watching the company, the amount of complaints and negative comments about Google is surprising. There are many reasons for this dissatisfaction. Google's search quality is a big problem. Despite promises to improve, many businesses have suffered. This isn't the first time, as updates like Florida in 2003, Panda in 2011, Penguin, and the Medic update have all caused issues before. There's also been a lot of negative media coverage because of the Department of Justice's findings.

Many people feel that Google has lost the charm it once had. The company is likely trying to find ways (particularly AI-based) to get better. But some wonder if it's too late for Google to win back the hearts of its users.

Read next: Study: 70% of Australians Unaware of Data Profiling, Feel Hopeless About Privacy Rights
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Study: 70% of Australians Unaware of Data Profiling, Feel Hopeless About Privacy Rights

According to a recent Consumer Policy Research Centre study, 70% of Australians do not know how many companies can profile them and collect data from them. They feel hopeless and frustrated when it comes to data brokers sharing their personal information with the companies. Most of their online activity is monitored by data brokers and then they sell this information to highest bidder. These companies profile users and use this information to make profit from them. 

These companies or businesses often term this kind of information about their consumers as “not personal” so they do not get charged a fine because of violation of the Federal Privacy Act. These companies use terms like anonymized data, pseudonymised information, hashed emails, audience data and aggregated information as these words have no proper definition according to law. Data brokers use these terms to make a profile and share it to businesses without the knowledge of consumers. Anonymized Information may sound like it has no definition and it won’t reveal anything personal but some companies use it when the email and name have been removed but other information that can characterize a person is still available.

The survey found out that Australians think that they have no power over their personal data as it can be used anywhere by the companies. Only a one-third of Australians think that they still have a little bit of control over their data. Most Australian consumers do not know what terms in privacy notices like hashed email address and advertising ID means. It is definitely worse than this study shows as not many people are aware of this. These terms mean that our personal data is going to be used without our knowledge. But when consumers do not understand the terms, they are more likely to believe that their data is secure.

Most consumers do think that it is not right for a business they have no direct contact with to use their personal data and information like that. Making people understand and educate about these types of terms isn’t the only solution. It’s because no one is completely sure about the meaning of these terms and also because a layman cannot understand these technical terms that easily. The only solution to this problem is a law should be made in Australia that will protect personal data of the consumers and a fair and reasonable test for data handling. These two things can prevent consumers from giving out their personal data to data brokers freely.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World